美国国家公共电台 NPR Beyond Sexual Harassment, Lesser Known Scandals Could Cost The Murdochs A $14B Deal

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The sexual harassment¹ scandals at Fox News could trip up the Murdoch family's hopes of growing their media empire. British regulators are considering whether the Murdochs are fit and proper owners of the European broadcast giant called Sky.

Meanwhile, a lesser-known scandal in the Murdoch family's media empire has been hiding in plain sight. And this one has a much bigger price tag. It involves allegations of computer hacking³, accusations⁴ of fraud, questions of political influence and payouts exceeding $900 million. NPR's David Folkenflik reports.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE⁶: This story centers on a pretty anonymous⁷ Murdoch division called News America Marketing⁸, which does advertising⁹ in retailers¹¹ like supermarkets and drugstores. Here's Ken⁵ Chandler, the former publisher of Rupert Murdoch's New York Post.

KEN CHANDLER: News America Marketing was a crucial part of the company because it generated so much revenue.

FOLKENFLIK: News America Marketing was run by a Murdoch executive named Paul Carlucci.

CHANDLER: And he wanted to win and win at all costs.

FOLKENFLIK: A pair of brothers named George and Richard Rebh found that out the hard way. They founded a small company called Floorgraphics in Princeton, N.J., with a new niche¹² - advertising on decals slapped on the floor of supermarket aisles¹³. They met for dinner with Carlucci one day in 1999. Here's what George Rebh later said Carlucci told them.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GEORGE REBH: You should know that I work for a man who wants it all and doesn't understand anyone telling him he can't have it all.

FOLKENFLIK: This is from sworn testimony¹⁴ first obtained and broadcast by CNN in 2011. That man who wants it all? Of course, Rupert Murdoch. Carlucci went on, according to Rebh's testimony, to make a clear threat - stay out of the retail¹⁰ marketing business. Rebh testified he sought clarification.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

REBH: So let me see if I understand this. You can get into our business and compete with us but if we were to get into yours, you'll destroy us? And he said that's right.

FOLKENFLIK: Paul Carlucci later denied saying he would destroy Floorgraphics, yet Steve Marquis told me a similar story. Marquis was a former vice¹⁵ president at News America. In December 1999, executives from the ANP regional supermarket chain told him Floorgraphics had earned their account. News America had lost it. Marquis said he fled in a panic to News America's holiday party, expecting to be chewed out, yet Paul Carlucci was a happy man.

STEVE MARQUIS: Paul gives me a high-five, gives me a hug and essentially¹⁶ tells me that we're going to get the resources we need to go crush these guys.

FOLKENFLIK: A few years later, the Rebhs realized their computers had been repeatedly hacked¹⁷ over a several month period. Their contracts and future plans had been compromised. The IP address involved in the hack² belonged to a News America account. The company admitted the hack but claimed it was impossible to figure out who was behind it. The late Senator Frank Lautenberg was among the lawmakers pushing for a criminal prosecution¹⁸ but it never happened. The Rebhs seethed¹⁹, telling others they were informed the damages were insignificant²⁰.

New Jersey's top federal prosecutor²¹ was then Chris Christie, now the state's Republican governor. Floorgraphics started ailing²². It sued News America, which paid $29.5 million to settle the case. In 2011, a huge hacking and bribery²³ scandal erupted at the Murdoch's British tabloids²⁴. Lautenberg turned attention again onto the Murdochs and on to Christie's failure to investigate the Floorgraphics case.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FRANK LAUTENBERG: There is evidence that News Corporation has been involved in a broad range of misconduct, reaching the highest levels of the New York-based company and involving actions in the U.K. and the U.S.

FOLKENFLIK: In late 2011, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes hired a former Lautenberg adviser²⁵ as a political commentator²⁶ - Julie Roginsky. According to what Roginsky told others, Ailes kept pestering²⁷ her over Lautenberg's possible investigations²⁸. If Roginsky's name sounds familiar, she sued Ailes and Fox News earlier this month, alleging²⁹ he sexually harassed³⁰ her. News America ended up paying another $600 million to two big competitors and paying an additional $280 million to some of its clients who had accused it of fraud.

For years, the Murdochs feared blowback from the British hacking scandal might cost them TV licenses³¹ in the U.S. Now, the question arises whether their plans for growth in the U.K. might be tripped up by their American controversies³², including the drive for supremacy³³ in the supermarket. David Folkenflik, NPR News, New York.

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

3 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

10 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

11 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

12 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

13 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

14 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

15 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

16 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

17 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

18 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

19 seethed   

（液体）沸腾( seethe的过去式和过去分词 )； 激动，大怒； 强压怒火； 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth)

参考例句：

• She seethed silently in the corner. 她在角落里默默地生闷气。
• He seethed with rage as the train left without him. 他误了火车，怒火中烧。

20 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

21 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

22 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

23 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

24 tabloids   

n.小报，通俗小报（版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）( tabloid的名词复数 )；药片

参考例句：

• The story was on the front pages of all the tabloids. 所有小报都在头版报道了这件事。
• The story made the front page in all the tabloids. 这件事成了所有小报的头版新闻。

25 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

26 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

27 pestering   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
• I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

28 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

29 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

30 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

31 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

32 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

33 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。